Golf-club construction



March 5, 1929. A. E. BUHRKE 131143.65

GOLF' CLUB CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec; 9. vw27 Patented Mar. 5,`

GOLF-enen coiis'rniiorioi-i;

App-imanes sie@ Deeemer s; i927. sei-isi ii'aesa/jfief 1f This inventionrelatesl to golf club icon! struction and has speeal reference to alocking ineans 'for seouringinserts in*- 'the'strillringjft face ot'the headof a gell eluh: v

More particularlyj this invention relatesto a locking 'ineens forsecuring ank insert or a group ot inserts in the striking- 'aceoflagoli@ olubfin such a manner as Will obviateithe dit-r liculties due tothe shrinking or enpandiiigof the bodyportion of the club'headWhichinter" tores with the eieiencyof the golf eluhto sev curethe'proper impact upon 'the ball when struckto'insure long 'distanceflight and other desirable qualities sought 'in a golfr club.

Ordinarily inserts have beenr` threadedjor threaded and glued Within thegolf club head whereupon ani rexpriding "of the golf club head Willpermit tlieinsert to become loos@ enedwhieh will interfere inaterially`with the fliglitof'the ball. Furtherrsuch expansion of thejgol' clubheadv will leave playaround theiinsert and will Cause a splitting of theiii-f' sert;particularly acrosstlie portion Where the threads coininenceduek to the iinpact rc, Ceived When striking the balli. Againgluesubject to cliinatio conditions and`will not` perform thedesiredfunctions unless these conditions are desirable.

inthe present construction, yit is `desiial'ile" to use'inserts whichare sin'ooth and at! least one oi' which is et nietal, they be'ng so constructed and arranged as to nii Aiinizetlre engendered by they alterablequali# hazards ties of the material of ltlie head.` li/ioreover, theseinserts are so heldin positionw'ithin the golf club head as to preventthe saine troni inovingI forwardl.)`7 or rearwardly or beconi inge;loosened in any'in'annei. This is acooinplished by' ineansoillo'clring'i the securing* ineans Within the 'golf elubheadibyn`secondary ineen s such asa sole plato, it'heii further desirable thatthe soleplateand have` no inte connecting i ine'ansp' One of the'objectsof thisinveiitioinis' to" provide` an "improved means' 'for positivelyconnecting the insert or insertswitli the inaliny body ot the cluh headso as to", prevent the lat?- ter roin'inoving forwardly or rearwardl orbecoming displaced bythe shrinkingor pending el' the club' head proper..

Another Aobject of this invention is to pio vide ineans'ior locking` thesecuring; nieans of the insert "in the club head Wherehy` the insorts`will reinain tightly seated'therein.

the insert A `further 'obj ect this inten tionis 2to provide apluralityof insertsfor the 'headofa golf elub Wlierebyone of 'the inserts.` beingseou'rely'held in the bodv y l y n head', holds the i'en'iainin tiverelation therewith. A stili further object(1 F this invention istoprovide a golf club'construetionwhich is 'durable, Whiehjinay. be.'readily assemble-:l and` which is pleasing in appearanoe. 1

Further objectsand advantages of this iiipoi'tion of the clubgrinsertsin a posivention will be apparent from the description" anddrawings forming' a part of this speciiig" catioiito which lat-terreference inai7 noui be i had foi aniore complete understanding,of the`charac'teristio features "of this ii'iifenti'on,A in' which drawings;

Figure -1 is a rontl'elevational 'ifieivfof' a vention isveinbodiedr; f

ld ig. 2 is la* vien/similar toiFigzl sliOwingsl y portion thereof insection;

golfclub head in Which one torni ofthis in 'i f Fig. 3 is aeentralAsectional View takenoir olulo'head. in 4which anotlierlfoiin of thisinvention is embodied; i

Fig,4 5 is aviwsiinilar the line 6%-6 offlliigt.r` t

Referring now to the drawings Yand r`more to Fig. 4lyshowing;

aportion thereof in section; and n K Fig. 46 is a central sectional Viewtaken ony lpartieularly to'FigS. l, Zand `3 thereof, a golf othersuitablev material having a face plate ll inlaid in the striking facelthereof.l The face plate l1 is preierablyof liberghard rub-y ber orother suitably ytough material [for the rSi? reasonthatthe-(Wearing.propertiesthereof are i. inorede'sirable tlian'that ofWood and iortlie furtherA reasonthat K' Athe grain of thewood ormingthegolfclub head ordinarilyextends *j e `parallel Withthe striking;- falce12'.'v A

kA"substantially large impact insert i3 *isV embeddedV in the lowerportion o-tliegolf."

club head and is disposed substantially eenv trallyof the Widththereof.y A counteifbored o,

socket 14 is provided. atthe lowerend of the ygolf clubto receivetheiinpaot iiisert'iir'snug r engagement therewith, the lar^er outer`portion of the `counterbored socket extending a substantial distancethrough the` ica-oe'plate ll, the smaller or inner portionof the socketextending' through thereinaining portion'of the face plate and into thebody portion of the club head. The socket has preferably semi-circularcontour and the impact insert 13 is shaped so as to conform to thesocket, the loiver edge of the latter being' substantiallyflat to extendflush with the lower sui'- face of the club head. The outer end of thehead 15 of the impact insert has a substaiif tially flat su `ce and ispreferably flush with tlie striking race 12 and the face plate 11, thelatter elements being` inclined rearwardly frointhe bottom of the golfclub as is usual in golf club construction. Y

The impact insert 13 is held in a positive fixed relation With the golfclub heat by means of a screw 1G extending from the flat lower side ofthe latter through the shank or smaller portion of the insert to besecui'ed to the body portion ofthe club head. The screw 1G is furtherheld in position by means of a sole plate 17 suitably secured as bymeans of screws 1S to the bottom surface of the club head. The soleplate prevents the displaceiiient of thesci'eiv 16 and the screw 16 inturn, by reason of its being prevented from becoming loosened, holds theimpact insert 13 in a iXed relation with the club head. ,lt is to beunderstood that the securing' means 1G -niay be a pin instead of a screwand that such a. pin will. as effectively secure the relative parts aswill the member shown. l

The head 15 of the impact insert 18serves further to hold a plurality ofauxiliary iinpact inserts 19 in position in the club head. These inserts19 are embedded in the body portion of the club head and extend throughthe face plate 11, the outer end thereof being; flush with the striking'surface of the face plate 17.` The inserts are positioned adjacent theperiphery of the impact insert 13. the flanged portion of the head 15overlapping a con'iparatively small portion of the inserts and being,`countersunk therein. inthe drawing three such auxiliary inserts 19 havebeen provided, although any number thereof may be provided Which may beof any size in keep. ing With the appearance ot the golf club head andthe utility thereof. i

lt is preferable thatthe insert 13 be ofv metahfor theV reason that itaffords an absolutely rigid or solid driving surface which, however, isnot inert. The material of the inserts 19 is preferablyof ivory or sonicother hard composition which may be distinctively colored and ariane'edto produce a striking and ornamental It is seen from the foregoing' thatthe aux?v iliary inserts 19 are securely anchored in the lgolf club headby means of the head 15 ofthe insert 18, and that the latter, in turn,idly fixed in a socket provided in the lower end of the golf club headby means of a screw sitioii such that it cannot become loosened by meanso t a sole plate 17.' By thus locking the inserts in position in thegolf club head, it is found. unnecessary to provide the inserts Withscrew threads, glue, or the like, which latter means are undesirable dueto the shrinking or expanding' of the material of the golf club headwhich cracks'the same across the threaded portion upon shrinking; or solooseiis the insert that a solid blow cannot be transmitted to 'the golfball. Again, it is found very desirable to use a metal insert 13 for thereason that it affords the requisite resistance and solidity whichenable the user to continue the stroke after the foi'ec of impact hasbeen transmitted to the ball which in the language of the players iscalled the follow through?? 7 y Referring' now to Figs. 1, 5 and 6 ofthe drawings, an impact insert of a inodified'form is shown, although itis substantially the same as that of the previously described insert. Inthis instance` the insert may be made of a cylindrical. shape having ahead portion 20 and a reduced body portion 9.1. A counterbored socket 22is provided in the face plate 2B ol the club head and extends asubstantial iure into the body portion thereof.y The is 'preferably ofmetal, the outer surface the head portion Q0 being' flush With thestriking' su ice of the 'face pltae 23, these latter members being;`inclined rearwardly .troni the lo 'ver edge of the head as is usual inOmpi.' .1,1 .1.t'- T1l' i 1l no i, (1.1i construe ion. n. inscit is ie din position by means of ar sci'eiv Q4 extending` s from the bottomsurface of the club 25 to tlii'eadedlyengage the insert. A sole plate 2Gis pro-vided on the bottom surface of the golf club head and is securedthereto by means of screws 27, the sole plate thus lockingV the 'screw24 in a position such that it cannot beconie. loosened. A plurality ofauxiliary inserts. 28 are'disposed adjacent the vperiphery of thereduced portion 21 of the centrally disposed impact insert. the headportion 20 there- Vof overlapping and seatingv in eut-away portions 29foi'iiied at the outer extremity of the auxiliary inserts. y

iis in'tiie pei'viously described eii'il'iodimcnt,

'these auiziliary inserts 29 may be lformed of ivory ora compositionsuclitliat they may be easily colored whereby a striking' ornamental enc K4 eiiect may be obtained. These inserts are further disposed so thatthe vibrations set up Y in the .club may bedistributed throughouttheclub and thereby introduce a harmonious vij bration ofthe head a Wholeupon the force of the impact ivith the golf/ball. y Further, in- Easinuch as. the'seeui'ing means, such as the .screws 16 and 2st, Aarelocked in position as by means ofthe plat s1? and Q6 respectively, it isto be understo-r'id t t a pin or other like securing' member may be usedasv effectively as a n screw. 16, the securing' means being' locked in apol'TJhile several embodiments of this invention have been herein shownand described. it is to be` understood that many niodiiications lili)thereof may be apparentto one skilledinqthe arttvithout departing` fromthe spirit .andv

scope of this invention and it is desired'that the same shall be limitedby the scope ofthe appended claims and the shoivingofthe prior club, ofan insert set flush with the striking face of said head, meansextendingfrom Ithe bottoni surface of said head to secure said botto-nisurface of said head to secure said insert, and means secured tothebottom surface of .said head for locking' said securing 8. Thecombination with the head yof a golf club and a face plate therefor, ofan insert set 'flush With the striking` surface of said face plate andextending into said head, means in said head for securing' said insert,

and means secured to said head for locking said securing' means, saidinsert fixedly posi tioning said face plate in said head.

ll. rlie combination with thehead of a golf club, of an insert set flushWith the striking face of said head, means'extending` from the bottonisurface of said head to secure said in@ sert, and a sole plate securedto the bottom surface of said head for locking said securing means.

5. rlfhe combination With the head of a golf club and a face platetherefor, of an insert set flush with said face plate, a plurality ofauxiliary inserts mounted in said head, andr means for securing saidfirst mentioned insert, said iirst mentioned insert fixe lly positioningsaid auxiliaifyv inserts and said face plate in said head.

The combination with the head of a golf club and a face plate therefor,of an insert comprising a smooth body portion and an enlarged headportion, said head yportion be;

ine; seated in said face plate and having its outer surface flushtherewith, and means in said club head for engagement withv said bodyportion for securing` said insert and said face plate in a fixedrrelation with said club head. f

7. The combination With the head of a golf chili and a face platetherefor, of an insert comprisinp,` a body portion and a head portion,said head portion being seated-in said face plate and having` its outersurfaceilush therewith, means extending from the bottom surface of saidclub head for engagement with said body portion for securinf said in*-sert and said face plate in a fixed relation ysaid first mentionedinsert, and a sole plate striking; face of said head, a screwY memberring said body portion, and a sole plate at* with said club head, and asole lplate' for at tachment to the bottom ofsaidfclub head forleclringsaid,securing means. 1 p

8. rlhe combination with thehead of a golf h club, of an`insertcomprising abodyportion ."0 and a head portion, a pluralityofauxiliary inserts adjacent `said first mentioned .i rt, said headportion .icing set flush vwith thel striking `faceof saidclub head; saidauxiliary inser t toliold the larrerj inaj lined relation avithnsaidclub head, ineanslfor securing `.id first mentioned insert, 'and amember for lockiiigsaid securing` means.

9. The combination with the head of a golf club, of an insert comprisinga body portion and a head portion, a plurality of auxiliary insertsadjacent said first mentioned insert i having recesses form-ed in aportion thereof,

said head portion engaging said recesses for holding' said auxiliaryinserts in fixed relation with said club Vhead,`means for securing saidfirst mentioned insert, and a member for locking said securing means. nl0. The combination With the head of a golf club, of an insertcomprisinga body portion and a head portion, a plurality `of auxiliaryyinserts adjacent said first mentionedinserts and set flush with thestriking,- face of said club head, said auxiliary inserts having;-cut-away portions in the outer sur- 9: faces thereof for engaging saidhead portion, said head portion being set-flush With said strikin face,means extending from the bottom surface of said club head for securingfor attachment with. the bottom of said" club head for locking` said.securing` means.

1l; The combination Witlrthe head of a golf club, of a metal insert setflush With the extending from the'bottom of said head for engaging andholding said insert iii a kfixed relation With said club head, and asole plate secured to the bottom of said club head for lockino saidscreW men'iber. y

12. The combination with theA head of ay golf club and aface'platetherefor, of a metal insert comprising a body portion and a headportion, said head portion being,-` seated in said face plate and havingthe outer surface thereof set iiush with the outer' surface of said faceplate, a screw member extending from the bottom of saidclub head andengagtached to the bottom of said club head for locking said screwmember. y d., f 13. The combination With the head of a golf club and afaceplate therefor, of a metal insert comprisinga body portionfand ahead'. portion, said head portion being` seated in M said face plate andharing the outer surface thereof set flush with the outer surface ofsaid face plate, a plurality of auxiliary insert members disposedadjacentsaid iirst 4mentioned insert member and set flush with said 130ico y face plate, said euXiliu-ry inserts being re-l cessed at theirouter ends to snugly engage the periphery of said head portion, saidfirst mentioned insert holding said auxiliary in- 5 sertie and said fecepla-te in a lined relation with said club hea-d, :i screw ineinberextending from the bottoni suriizice of seid club head to engage saidbody portion, and a sole plate secured to seid bottom surface of said 10club head for loe-king said screw ineinber.

14. The combination with the head oit :L

golf club, of zin insert set flush with the striking face of said head,a plurality of auxiliary inserts ygrouped adjacent said first mentionedinsert, and ineens extending from the lower surface of Said club headlioi' securingv ai plurality oit Said inserts in a fixed relation withsaid eluh head, and ineens on 'the bottoni oi said head for lookinglsaid securing; ineens.

ln Witness whereof, l have hereunto sul scribed my naine.

